Ruth Atkinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ruth Atkinson |
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|---|---|
| Born | June 2, 1918 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | June 1, 1997 (aged 78) Pacifica, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Penciller |
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Notable works
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Millie the Model Patsy Walker |
Ruth Atkinson Ford was an American cartoonist who made comic books. She was one of the first women to write and draw comics. Ruth Atkinson created the popular character Millie the Model. She also helped create Patsy Walker for Marvel Comics. She was born on June 2, 1918, and passed away on June 1, 1997.
Ruth Atkinson's Early Life and Career
Ruth Atkinson was born in Toronto, Canada. When she was a baby, her family moved to upstate New York.
Ruth Atkinson was one of the very first female artists in American comic books. She started working in comics around 1942 or 1943. She worked for a company called Fiction House. She also worked through the Iger Studio. This studio was a "packager" that made comics for different publishers. Other female artists like Fran Hopper, Lily Renée, and Marcia Snyder also worked there.
Atkinson's first known work was a single-page feature called "Wing Tips." It appeared in Wings Comics #42 in February 1944.
Drawing and Creating Comic Characters
Ruth Atkinson continued to draw and ink the "Wing Tips" feature. She also worked on other features for Fiction House. These included "Clipper Kirk" in Wings Comics and "Tabu" in Jungle Comics. She also drew "Sea Devil" in Rangers Comics.
At one point, she became the art director at Fiction House. This meant she was in charge of the art team. However, she left this job to work as a freelance artist. She wanted more time to create her own art.
She then worked with writer Otto Binder. Together, they created the character Patsy Walker. This was for Marvel Comics' earlier company, Timely Comics. Patsy Walker first appeared in Miss America Magazine #2 in November 1944. Ruth Atkinson drew this humor and romance comic for two years.
She also wrote and drew the very first issue of the long-running series Millie the Model. This comic became very popular.
Later, Atkinson drew true-life adventure stories for Heroic Comics. She also drew some of the first romance comics. These included Boy Meets Girl and Boy Loves Girl. She continued drawing comics into the early 1950s.
Later Life
Ruth Atkinson stopped working in comics after she got married. She lived in Pacifica, California, when she passed away from cancer.
Her brother was Ted Atkinson. He was a famous horse-racing jockey. He is in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2005.
